Improvement in feeding devices for pill-machines



J'. A. MCFERRAN.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR PILL MACHINE. ,I

' Patented May Z3, 1876.

IMPEIERS. HormLl'moaRnPnin. WASHINGTON. D C.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOSEPH A. MCFERRAN, oF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

i IMPROVEMENT I N FEEDING DEVICES FOR PILL-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 177,867, dated May 23, 1876; application iiled April 28, 1876.`

To all whom lit may concern:

Be it known that I, J osEPH A. MCFERRAN, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Feeding Devices for Pill-Machines, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to feeding devices con-V nected with machines for the manufacture of pills by compressing the powdereddrugs into molds; and the object of my invention is to provide la pill-making machine with certain automatic feeding mechanism, by which the powder can be fed to the molds in determinate quantities, and by which the quantity of powder can be regulated to accord with the size of the pill to be made In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a vertical section ofthe feeding device; Figs. 2 and 3, detached sectional views of the same, showing the operating parts in different posi tions, and Fig. 4 a plan view ofthe lower portion of the feeding mechanism.

A is a hopper, the top of which is furnished with a cover, D, the lower portion of the hopper consisting of a conical chamber, a. To the cover D is secured, in the manner illustrated, or otherwise, a bearing, E, for the tubular shaft F, to the upper end of which is secured a cog-wheel, Gr, to be driven by any suitable gearing, and the lower portion of this shaft carries a ring, b, arranged to turn in the portion d of the hopper. From this ring projects a scraper, e, so adapted to the lower conical portion of the hopper that it will prevent the adhesion of the powder to the same as the shaft revolves. The powder is fed to the hopper through a pipe, El, into which projects' a rod, h, secured tothe lower end of an arm, i, which is hinged to the under side of the cover D, thearm being connected by a link, m, to the lower end of a rod, n, which is arranged to slide in the said cover., On the under side cfa flange, f, attachedto or forming part of the wheel G, or attached to the tubular shaft, are projections k, which, as the wheel revolves,

ldepress the sliding rod n, the upward movement of which is caused by a spring, p, so that when the machine is iii-operation a reciprocating motion is imparted to the rod n, which-insures the passage of the powder through the lower end t cylindrical.

pipe H into the hopper. Within the rotating shaft F is another sliding tube, I, to which a vertical reciprocating movement is imparted by any suitable mechanism, and to this tube I is secured a rod, J, arranged to slide in a guide, g, on the hopper, the rod being made conical near its lower ends, and at its extreme rI his lower portion of the rod passes through an eye, n, in an arm, J', secured `to the lower portion of the hopper, and also through an eye, c, on an arm, K, hinged at a: to the stationary arm J. The two eyes are so situated in relation to each other that as the tapering portion s of the rod J passes down through them itwill tend to move the arm K outward in the direction ofthe arrow, but as the rod rises a spring, o', `will move the arm K in a contrary direction. The outer portion w of this arm K forms a gate, which passes through and slides in a `slot made at the junction of the lower portion of thehopper with the discharge-tube y, and this gate'has an opening, w', which, when therod J is depressed,

coincides with the interior of the said dischargetube. A rod, M, passes throughthe sliding tube I, and has a reciprocating motion imparted to it by any suitable mechanism, the motion being independent of that imparted to the said tube.

The combined action of the rod M, tube I, and gate fw, in conjunction with the lower portion of the vhopper and dischargetube, is illustratedby Figs. l, 2, and 3.

In Fig. 2 both the tube I and rod M have been elevated, and the powder has free access to the space below them, and rests on the gate w. rIhe sliding tube l now descends, bears with its lower edge on the bottom of the hopper, and actsas a valve for cutting off the the supply' of powder in the said hopper from Y that contained within the lower portion of the tube below the rod. While the tube I remains in this position the gate 'w is moved until its opening` w coincides with the interior of the discharge-tube, when the rod M descends and forces that portion of the powder which has been cut ot'f from the mass in thc hopper through the said discharge-tube into the mold or receptacle where the charge has to be compressed. After this the tube I and rod Mare raised to their former position, and the gate w closed preparatory to a repetition of the above-described movement.

The quantity of powder taken from the mass in the hopper and forced from the dischargetube will depend upon the height to which thetube 1 and rod M are permitted to rise, and this height can be easily regulated by different devices, which it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate in the drawing.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with a hopper and discharge-tube, of a sliding tube, I, sliding rodl M, and gate w, operating together suhstan 1 tially in the manner described.

2. The combination, in a pill-machine feeder, ofthe hopper A, its lower conicalv portion a, andthe revolving scraper e, adapted to the` said conical portion, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth. Y

3. The combination of thevhopper A, its

feeding-pipe H, and reciprocating rod h, suhstantially as set forth. K

4, The combination i-of the reciprocating rod J, tapering portion s, the eye n in the xed arm J', and the-eye fu. in the gate-lever K, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of ytwo 'subserihin g witnesses.

JOSEPH A. MGFERRAN.

Witnesses:

HARRY HowsoN, Jr., HARRY SMITH, 

